warrenz1963 Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 What is the difference between "Formal" and "Dress Your Best"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 "Formal" is what they used to call it, now it's "Dress Your Best." There are no specific requirements for what is worn aside from the theoretical no swimwear in the MDR. Those nights tend to be the ones where professional photography opportunities are offered so if you're looking to get a fancy portrait done, wear what you want for the photo rather than any specific expectation in the MDR. PhillyLady, warrenz1963 and RCIfan1912 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 There is usually a "formal night" and a "dress your best" on 7n or longer cruises. They are essentially the same thing. It basically means there will be an opportunity to take beautifully shot photos in your best attire. Pattycruise, RCIfan1912, PhillyLady and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Merely marketing to encourage a second formal night without setting expectations warrenz1963 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanHardlyWait Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Nothing. warrenz1963 and RCIfan1912 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biaggio Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Money making opportunity for the photographer. Wear what you want (within reason) , what’s comfortable. You are on vacation. PeloAl, dmattinson, warrenz1963 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmattinson Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 13 minutes ago, Biaggio said: Money making opportunity for the photographer. Wear what you want (within reason) , what’s comfortable. You are on vacation. Agreed - resort casual should be the norm for your cruise vacation (most likely to the Caribbean) and suits and tuxes kept for the transatlantic and cold weather cruises. If a cruise ship has orange, pink, green, and blue ornamentation on the pool deck, don't expect anything more than a relaxed attire anywhere on the ship (and I know people do dress up, but some folks get huffy about others not dressing up too). warrenz1963, Butters530, Chuck586 and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianB Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Agree with everyone else. Formal and Dress Your Best are for those who look forward to having the formal onboard experience and also to have their photos taken by the ship’s professional photographers. They will be at areas throughout the ship with nice backgrounds, like marble staircases and the car on the Promenade…also they will erect photo backdrops. But they don’t just snap a photo and you move on…they will take time to take multiple photos with many different poses. The idea is to give you lots of photos to choose from…hopefully you’ll purchase more than one. Meanwhile, the line waiting for their photos can get pretty long. But the most important thing to know, in my opinion, is there are many cruisers who do not dress formal or ‘best’…they just stay resort casual like every other night. Also, that makes packing quite a bit easier. Either way, you’ll blend in! PhillyLady and warrenz1963 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 20 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said: "Formal" is what they used to call it, now it's "Dress Your Best." There are no specific requirements for what is worn aside from the theoretical no swimwear in the MDR. Those nights tend to be the ones where professional photography opportunities are offered so if you're looking to get a fancy portrait done, wear what you want for the photo rather than any specific expectation in the MDR. They have both... it's the same thing, just two different nights warrenz1963 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 37 minutes ago, BrianB said: there are many cruisers who do not dress formal or ‘best’… If the "best" you brought is khakis and a polo shirt for him (my default for dinner) and a sundress for her - that's your best If the "best" you brought is cargo shorts and a Metallica tee-shirt for him and a skort with a breezy top for her - that's your best If one wishes to dress up (we used to do so, not anymore) - the suit and tie (or more) for him and cocktail dress (or more) for her - that's your best PhillyLady, ScottD, Butters530 and 4 others 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butters530 Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 And maybe I don’t mind having staircase photos in my resort casual attire. Because that’s how we roll! warrenz1963, WAAAYTOOO and dmattinson 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 13 minutes ago, Butters530 said: And maybe I don’t mind having staircase photos in my resort casual attire. Because that’s how we roll! We've done "formal" photos in front of scenic backdrops wearing the aforementioned khakis and a polo on multiple occasions. Not unlikely to be one of the selected Diamond free photos. warrenz1963 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butters530 Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 4 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said: We've done "formal" photos in front of scenic backdrops wearing the aforementioned khakis and a polo on multiple occasions. Not unlikely to be one of the selected Diamond free photos. I don’t even know if khakis and a polo would be it. More like long shorts and a Tommy Bahama shirt and a sundress for me. Again just how we vacation. And for those who like to dress up - I like to people watch and admire! HeWhoWaits 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestingBird Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 I try my hardest to at least wear a collared shirt to dinner, and some nicer shorts or pants (except at the buffet). Just my two cents. Butters530, AandD and warrenz1963 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey79 Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 My last Chefs Table appearal varied from a tux to a shirt/tie to a guy in a hoodie and shorts. warrenz1963 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyLady Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Formal has always been defined as tailcoats and evening gowns. On most cruise ships "formal" wear is really semi-formal. "Dressing my best" depends on location, cruise line, time of year. I always "dress up," because I have a great cruise line photo collection. When I cruise in colder climates, I wear darker, heavier clothes. (Navy sequins) In warmer areas, lighter colors and fabrics take the priority (Pink lace). On Cunard, Princess, Celebrity, etc. I bring out my loveliest clothes--very elegant, eye-catching long gowns, husband in tuxedo or very nice suit. On Carnival, RC, NCL, I am a bit more casual and trendy in my dress. Husband might just do a sports jacket--I may even wear a short dress. Sadly, costly cruise lines like Viking do not promote too much dressing up. Horrors-- I have seen elderly men come to breakfast in their pajamas. We never pay any attention to what others wear at dinner- we are enjoying our own experience too much! warrenz1963, RestingBird and NikiM 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 Dress Your Best is exactly that. Whatever you consider to be best for your style and tastes. For some that may be casual, some business or smart casual, some resort wear, for others it's formal. It is subjective. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/generic-onboard-dress-code Formal nights Think of our formal dress code as a night out in your best black-tie look — suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns are all acceptable options. There can be 1 to 4 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ship’s discretion. Our Chef’s Table dining experience also enforces a formal dress code policy. Formal dress code is rarely enforced to absolute standards such as men must wear a tie and jacket. Clear violations will probably be flagged such as a bathing suit in the MDR for dinner, but they probably won't challenge a guest in a t-shirt in the MDR especially in the Caribbean. warrenz1963 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestingBird Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 2 hours ago, PhillyLady said: Formal has always been defined as tailcoats and evening gowns. On most cruise ships "formal" wear is really semi-formal. "Dressing my best" depends on location, cruise line, time of year. I always "dress up," because I have a great cruise line photo collection. When I cruise in colder climates, I wear darker, heavier clothes. (Navy sequins) In warmer areas, lighter colors and fabrics take the priority (Pink lace). On Cunard, Princess, Celebrity, etc. I bring out my loveliest clothes--very elegant, eye-catching long gowns, husband in tuxedo or very nice suit. On Carnival, RC, NCL, I am a bit more casual and trendy in my dress. Husband might just do a sports jacket--I may even wear a short dress. Sadly, costly cruise lines like Viking do not promote too much dressing up. Horrors-- I have seen elderly men come to breakfast in their pajamas. We never pay any attention to what others wear at dinner- we are enjoying our own experience too much! Right on!! PhillyLady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 5 hours ago, twangster said: Formal dress code is rarely enforced to absolute standards such as men must wear a tie and jacket. Clear violations will probably be flagged such as a bathing suit in the MDR for dinner, but they probably won't challenge a guest in a t-shirt in the MDR especially in the Caribbean. My server flat out told me to come to formal night in my shorts and tshirt when I told him I was going to skip Formal night because I didn't even bring pants, lol. HeWhoWaits, Butters530, twangster and 4 others 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffmw Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 15 hours ago, twangster said: Formal dress code is rarely enforced to absolute standards such as men must wear a tie and jacket. Correction. Formal dress code is never enforced. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 4 minutes ago, jeffmw said: Correction. Formal dress code is never enforced. The problem with stating absolutes is that someone, somewhere, some time, will have had an experience where it was enforced. Chef's Table used to be more stringent than it is now for example. Chef's Table is supposed to be formal. NikiM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanHardlyWait Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 10 hours ago, ScottD said: My server flat out told me to come to formal night in my shorts and tshirt when I told him I was going to skip Formal night because I didn't even bring pants, lol. This exactly for the MDR. #ME2 Because staff and Royal know, tips can also fit in the pockets of shorts. TXcruzer, Butters530, ScottD and 2 others 1 1 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butters530 Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 We are skipping formal night in the MDR because we don’t want to dress up in formal attire. Don’t really want to, but don’t want to offend. Is this the right solution? I don’t want stares because we aren’t dressed to the nines… WAYNO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey79 Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 3 hours ago, twangster said: The problem with stating absolutes is that someone, somewhere, some time, will have had an experience where it was enforced. Chef's Table used to be more stringent than it is now for example. Chef's Table is supposed to be formal. Mine was far from formal imo. I felt like I was under dressed without a jacket and by all attempts I should have been but compared to a polo shirt and jeans and especially the guy on the hoodie I was dressed to the 9s. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 For me, another reason not to do Chef's Table. I can eat casual elsewhere, if I'm in that mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 26 minutes ago, Butters530 said: We are skipping formal night in the MDR because we don’t want to dress up in formal attire. Don’t really want to, but don’t want to offend. Is this the right solution? I don’t want stares because we aren’t dressed to the nines… You won't get stares, usually. We lost luggage once and only had travel clothes. That is my first thought when I see someone in shorts. You are entitled to enjoy the meal, which used to be a nice one. warrenz1963 and RCIfan1912 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCIfan1912 Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 I honestly can't believe in 2024 that anyone cares what anyone is wearing for dinner. Its both sad and comical at the same time. Wear what you want just make sure you are wearing something. I used to wear Khakis every night but felt over dressed and those in jeans looked much more comfortable so I joined them. Jeans baby, jeans. warrenz1963, Butters530, CanHardlyWait and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanHardlyWait Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 2 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said: I honestly can't believe in 2024 that anyone cares what anyone is wearing for dinner. Its both sad and comical at the same time. Where what you want just make sure you are wearing something. I used to wear Khakis every night but felt over dressed and those in jeans looked much more comfortable so I joined them. Jeans baby, jeans. I'll add a pair of nice shorts can look just as good as jeans. Especially in the Caribbean. But why anyone's evening revolves around what others have on is beyond my comprehension. RCIfan1912, Butters530, warrenz1963 and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 11 hours ago, Butters530 said: We are skipping formal night in the MDR because we don’t want to dress up in formal attire. Don’t really want to, but don’t want to offend. Is this the right solution? I don’t want stares because we aren’t dressed to the nines… If you scan through this post you will see that not only won't you get stares, plenty of us don't dress up for Formal night. It's Formal night if you want pictures...it's every other night if you don't care about pictures in fancy clothes. As you can see, some of us literally wear the same thing we do the other 6 nights... it's completely optional now, they do not, and most people do not care what you wear, as long as you don't walk in with a wet swimsuit- go enjoy that lobster! Butters530 and warrenz1963 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonOasis Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Dress your best in my opinion is what people should do every night while on a cruise. Don't miss understand what I'm saying because I refuse to wear a suit and tie on a cruise I have to wear those things every time I go into the office and will not put that mess on when I'm on vacation. However I always wear either a polo or a button down shirt and either some nice slacks or dark color jeans during the evening. To me that is dressing my best on vacation. dmattinson, Hunny68 and RCIfan1912 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesszy94 Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 I think people worry too much about the dress code on a cruise line like Royal Caribbean. Just dress however you want, if you want to walk around topless in budgie smugglers, that's your prerogative, but I suppose don't expect people to not stare or laugh. I know there's lots of westerners/older generation people who do like to dress up and look their best, but then I also know people who just want to relax and wear whatever they want. If it was Cunard on the other hand.... be prepared to have the dress code enforced. RCIfan1912, Butters530 and ScottD 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butters530 Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Right on! Going to pack what I am comfortable in and what brings on vacay vibes. CanHardlyWait and RCIfan1912 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 On 3/21/2024 at 1:02 PM, twangster said: The problem with stating absolutes is that someone, somewhere, some time, will have had an experience where it was enforced. Chef's Table used to be more stringent than it is now for example. Chef's Table is supposed to be formal. Chef's table is now listed as 'Smart Casual Attire' like every other specialty restaurant. ChessE4 and RCIfan1912 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_Texas Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 We dress well because that is part of the experience for us. We have cruised so much with Royal that we are used to the t-shirts, shorts, and baseball caps in the MDR on formal night. We know that dress codes are for the most point useless on a mass market cruise line. My only issue is RCL is continuing to message this "formal night" and "dress to impress" nonsense. They have no dress code for any dining Except Empire Supper Club. Quit telling people that you do have a dress code. Just call those 2 nights "photo nights". Also they enforce 18+ in "The Hideaway" and couldn't care less in the 18+ Solarium. Adjust your messaging and the Cruise Compass to reality so inexperienced cruisers know what to pack. dmattinson, CanHardlyWait, ChessE4 and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 18 hours ago, Doug_Texas said: We dress well because that is part of the experience for us. We have cruised so much with Royal that we are used to the t-shirts, shorts, and baseball caps in the MDR on formal night. We know that dress codes are for the most point useless on a mass market cruise line. My only issue is RCL is continuing to message this "formal night" and "dress to impress" nonsense. They have no dress code for any dining Except Empire Supper Club. Quit telling people that you do have a dress code. Just call those 2 nights "photo nights". Also they enforce 18+ in "The Hideaway" and couldn't care less in the 18+ Solarium. Adjust your messaging and the Cruise Compass to reality so inexperienced cruisers know what to pack. Yup, they have just become "photo nights", but I am ok with that. Solarium is 16+ though and I see kids that look under 16 being asked to leave often. Looks like Solarium age has changed to 18+. Thanks smokeybandit for the correction. Butters530 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 I got off Adventure (8 night) this morning. A guy near me wore a different Detroit Lions shirt all 8 nights. That's fan devotion. Scott Wooten, teddy and RCIfan1912 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 16 hours ago, DoomSlayer said: Yup, they have just become "photo nights", but I am ok with that. Solarium is 16+ though and I see kids that look under 16 being asked to leave often. They raised the solarium age to 18+ a few months back. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/09/26/royal-caribbean-ups-the-age-limit-its-adults-only-pool-its-cruise-ships DoomSlayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 29 minutes ago, ScottD said: They raised the solarium age to 18+ a few months back. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/09/26/royal-caribbean-ups-the-age-limit-its-adults-only-pool-its-cruise-ships Guess I missed that change, have not traveled with people in the 16 - 18 range since March of 2023. Thanks for correcting me! ScottD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 54 minutes ago, DoomSlayer said: Guess I missed that change, have not traveled with people in the 16 - 18 range since March of 2023. Thanks for correcting me! I honestly never had a problem with some well behaved 16-17 year olds in there. If they were just relaxing on a chair with their parents or even alone, as long as they were just hanging out and reading or whatever, it was fine with me! DoomSlayer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 2 minutes ago, ScottD said: I honestly never had a problem with some well behaved 16-17 year olds in there. If they were just relaxing on a chair with their parents or even alone, as long as they were just hanging out and reading or whatever, it was fine with me! My daughter liked it when I took her last March because she could hide from her younger siblings. She will be disappointed in December for our Christmas cruise because she will be just under 18 (Turns 18 in January). ScottD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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